Modern Australian Farmhouse

The Brief: To design a modern home for a farming family that is spacious and efficient while retaining the feeling of a traditional Australian farmhouse. Design Response: This house is a modern take on Australian farmhouses, re-interpreting the use of traditional materials and forms. It is long, low and nestled into a small hollow in the vast landscape of South-East South Australia near Coonalpyn.The house includes 3 bedrooms plus an office, 2 bathrooms, large verandahs, a generous 2-car garage and all the luxuries and finishes of a modern home. It is a very energy efficient home based on passive design principles, starting with careful site placement and orientation allowing for effective shading and natural ventilation.

It also incorporates double-glazed windows, roof ventilators, hydraulic in-floor heating and the use of solar hot water. Limestone walls and a double-leaf insulated cavity wall system provide effective thermal mass and insulation throughout the building.

The house is self-sufficient with a 5kW solar PV system and 60,000 litres of rainwater storage.